“We’re deeply disturbed by this dramatic and completely unacceptable surge in antisemitic incidents,” ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt said.
The Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) latest audit of antisemitic incidents was released Wednesday and shows a rise in antisemitic harassment, vandalism, and assault in the U.S. in 2022.
The audit found a total of 3,697 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. during 2022, an increase of 36% from 2021, in which 2,717 incidents were reported.
The 2022 total is the highest reported number of antisemitic incidents recorded by the ADL since they started tracking in 1979.
“We’re deeply disturbed by this dramatic and completely unacceptable surge in antisemitic incidents,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and national director. “This data confirms what Jewish communities across the country have felt and seen firsthand – and corresponds with the rise in antisemitic attitudes.”
The majority of the antisemitic incidents came in the form of harassment, with 2,298 cases, which equals an increase of 29% from last year. There were 1,288 incidents of vandalism and 111 incidents of assault, according to the audit.
Of the 111 incidents of assault, 107 occurred without the use of a deadly weapon, ADL said. Of the 139 victims impacted by the assaults, there was one casualty, audit said.
Eight months in 2022 saw over 300 incidents, which is the highest amount ever occurring over multiple months, with November alone seeing 394 incidents, the audit reported.
“While we can’t point to any single factor or ideology driving this increase, the surges in organized white supremacist propaganda activity, brazen attacks on Orthodox Jews, a rapid escalation of bomb threats toward Jewish institutions and significant increases of incidents in schools and on college campuses all contributed to the unusually high number,” said Greenblatt.
The rise in antisemitic incidents comes at a time when the ADL’s 2023 report on Antisemitic Attitudes in America is the highest level of antisemitic attitude in decades. The report shows that 20% of Americans believe six or more antisemitic tropes.
“In a year when antisemitism found mainstream acceptance like never before, antisemites were emboldened to act on their animus,” said Oren Segal, vice president of the ADL Center on Extremism. “From the antisemitic ‘Great Replacement’ theory to Ye’s claims about Jewish power, these conspiracies fueled real-world incidents of hate.”
“From white nationalists to religious fanatics to radical anti-Zionists, Jewish people see a range of very real threats. It’s time to stop the surge of hate once and for all,” said Greenblatt.
